HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #1920
PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 07/15/97 - 0000Z (UTC) 07/16/97
Daily Status Report as of 197/0000Z
1.0 ACTIVITIES SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
1.1 Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 7621 (WF/PC-2 Cycle 7 Supplemental
Darks PT1/3)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make supplemental dark calibration images.
This set of dark calibrations is intended to obtain three dark frames every
day to provide data for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot
pixels. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were
noted.
1.2 Completed STIS/CCD 7659 (Daily Darks to Update Acquisition Bad Pixel
Table)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make dark
calibration images in order to update the acquisition bad pixel table.
Daily hot pixel lists can also be used for science data analysis. The
observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.
1.3 Completed FGS 7679 (Intermediate Plate Scale Calibration (FGS-3))
The Fine Guidance Sensors were used to make observations of stars
4727-25, HD65949 and several other reference stars in order to completed an
intermediate plate scale calibration. The essential point of this
calibration is to refine our knowledge of the plate scale in the central
region of the astrometer FGS for this is where all annual parallax work
will be executed by the GOs and GTOs. The observations were executed as
scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.
1.4 Completed STIS/CCD 7675 (STIS Non-Scripted Parallel Archive Proposal)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used in the
parallel mode to obtain slitless spectroscopy with the G750L grating to
search for emission line galaxies at intermediate to high redshift. The
observations were completed as planned, and no anomalies were reported.
1.5 Completed Three Sets of NIC/1/2/3 7701 (NICMOS Short One Orbit Parallel)
The Near Infrared Camera (Cameras One, Two and Three) was used as
part of a short NICMOS one orbit parallel program, to obtain "JHK" imaging
of sky regions when another instrument is prime. The guide star
acquisition failure mentioned in 1.12 may have affected the second
iteration this proposal. Otherwise, the remaining observations were
completed as scheduled, and no further anomalies were reported.
1.6 Completed WF/PC-2 6253 (Pure Parallel Archive Program)
The WF/PC-2 was used to execute a pure parallel program taking
ultraviolet observations running concurrently with prime science
observations. The intent is to search for extra-galactic sources with flux
excesses at 3000 A0 and galactic sources with excesses at 1600 A0. The
observations were completed as planned, and no problems were reported.
1.7 Completed WF/PC-2 6793 (WF/PC-2 Support for the Mars Pathfinder Mission)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make observations of the planet Mars. This
is to support the Pathfinder Mission to Mars. Observations of Mars are
scheduled near opposition, one month prior to landing, and during the
landed phase of the Pathfinder Mission. The observations were completed as
scheduled, and no problems were reported.
1.8 Completed STIS/CCD/WF/PC-2/NIC/1/2 7569 (The Nuclear Region of NGC-4151)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD), the WF/PC-2 and the
Near Infrared Camera (Cameras One and Two) were used to make observations
of the nuclear region of Seyfert galaxy NGC-4151 which will be studied in
several ways. 1) Low-resolution spectra over the entire UV and visible
range will be obtained; 2) slitless spectra of strong emission lines at
moderate resolution and narrow-band WF/PC-2 images will be used to map the
dynamics of the regions; 3) Echelle spectra over the entire UV bandpass
will be used to study the intrinsic absorption in the nucleus; and 4)
parallel imaging will be performed of the outer galaxy and other galaxies
or QSOs. The observations were completed as planned, and no problems were
reported.
1.9 Completed WF/PC-2 6357 (The Nuclear Morphology of Elliptical Galaxies)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make images of the early type, large,
elliptical galaxies NGC-5817 and ESO580-26 (taken form a list of 150
galaxies) in order to study thier nuclear morphology. This survey will
complement Illingworth's snapshot study of later Hubble types. The
observations were completed as scheduled, and no anomalies were reported.
1.10 Completed NIC/1/2/3 7729 (NICMOS Short One Orbit Parallel)
The Near Infrared Camera (Cameras One, Two and Three) was used to
obtain "JHK" imaging of sky regions while another instrument was prime.
These observations were part of the short NICMOS one orbit parallel
program. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies
were noted.
1.11 Completed NIC/2 7330 (The Fueling of Active Nucleii: A NICMOS
Snapshot Survey)
The Near Infrared Camera (Camera Two) was used to probe the dark
matter distribution of NGC-1667 far from the center by observing
intervening absorption from the MgII doublet (lambda 2800) in the spectrum
of one background QSO located in a geometrically optimal position. HST
observations are required because this feature is in a wavelength range not
accessible from the ground, and the QSO magnitudes and expected strength of
absorption make IUE observations unfeasible. The proposal completed as
expected with no anomalies.
1.12 Completed WF/PC-2 6887 (A Photometric Search for Faint Companions
to Nearby Stars)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make a photometric search observations of
the nearby star ROSS248 in order to look for possible companions. The
technique involves use of the Planetary Camera with wide band pass filters
to photometrically measure for the presence of resolved dark companions.
As detailed in HSTAR 6121, the guide star acquisition immediately before
this proposal, at 196/145536Z, failed when the scan step limit was
exceeded. There were no further anomalies reported.
1.13 Completed STIS/CCD 7700 (STIS Non-Scripted Parallel Archive Proposal)
The Space Telescope Imaging Telescope (CCD) was used to obtain
slitless spectroscopy with the G750L grating to search for emission line
galaxies at intermediate to high redshift. Field galaxy surveys have shown
that at high redshift most galaxies have strong emission lines, and are
compact and blue. This suggests that star formation rates were higher than
at present,and that AGN may have been more frequent. The low background
and high resolution of HST separates these objects from the background.
The guide star acquisition failure mentioned in 1.12 may have affect this
proposal. No further problems were reported.
1.14 Completed NIC/2 7420 (A Near-Infrared Search for Very Low Mass
Companions to Stars Within 10 pc of the Sun)
The Near Infrared Camera (Camera Two) was used to make searching
observations for very low mass companions to variable star LHS316. This
star is known to be within 10 parsecs of the Sun. The observations were
executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.
1.15 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 7727 (STIS Non-Scripted Parallel
Archive Proposal)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to obtain
parallel slitless spectroscopy with the G750L grating to search for
emission line galaxies at intermediate to high redshift. Field galaxy
surveys have shown that at high redshift most galaxies have strong emission
lines, and are compact and blue. The observations were completed as
planned, and no anomalies were reported.
1.16 Completed WF/PC-2 6677 (The Origin of the X-Ray Background: What
are the Faintest X-Ray Galaxies?)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make observations of the galaxy GAL-133519
which is from the deepest optically identified (ROSAT) X-ray survey yet.
These images were taken to determine the morphologies of the remaining
systems which we cannot study from the ground to determine whether the
remaining non-QSO XRB might be explained by emission from interacting or
disturbed spirals. The observations were completed as planned, and no
anomalies were reported.
1.17 Completed NIC/1/2/3 7775 (NICMOS Earth Flats)
The Near Infrared Spectrograph Multi-Object Camera was used to make
Earth flat calibration observations. This proposal obtains a series of
Earth flats for a subset of narrow-, medium-and broad-band NIC One, Two and
Three filters. These flats will be used to generate the master flats for
narrow-band filters and to determine the OTA illumination pattern as a
function of wavelength and camera. The observations were completed as
scheduled, and no problems were noted.
1.18 Completed STIS/MA2 7604 (Cycle 7 MAMA Dark Measurements)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA2) was used to make MAMA
dark measurements. These darks will be used in later image reductions and
also trended over the instrument's life time as an indicator of the
detector's degradation or damage. The observations were completed as
scheduled, and no problems were reported.
1.19 Completed WF/PC-2 6587 (Black Holes and Cores of Early-Type Galaxies)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make observations of early-type galaxy
IC4296 in order to study its nuclear core region and its possible black
hole. The campaign to find black holes in the centers of galaxies using
HST has so far been highly successful. The observations were completed as
planned, and no problems were reported.
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
Scheduled Acquisitions : 10
Successful : 9
One acquisition failed. The failure is described in 1.12.
Observations mentioned in 1.5 and 1.13 may also have been affected.
Scheduled Reacquisitions : 2
Successful : 2
2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled : 27
Successful : 27
2.3 Operations Notes:
HSTAR 6122 describes two data dropouts in an SSR downlink at
196/095427Z which caused the loss of two packets of STIS data. Subsequent
spacecraft re-dumps recovered all missing data.
The STIS Bad Pixel Table was uplinked at 196/1854Z.
The SSR Interrupt Log was dumped at 196/2250Z.
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
Continuation of normal science and SMOV operations.
/DMH